The overall goal of our SPORE Career Development program has been to prepare scientists and physician/scientists for careers as independent investigators in the area of translational prostate cancer research. Our trainees have been informed in the approaches and problems currently associated with diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer, as well as, with the molecular and cellular biology tools which are critical to the development of improved methods of assessment and more effective therapy for prostate cancer in the future. We plan to use the SPORE Career Development funds over the next five years to continue rigorous training and support of postdoctoral fellows and junior-level faculty who have demonstrated a strong interest in pursuing a career in translational prostate cancer research. We plan to recruit new trainees with either Ph.D., M.D., M.D./Ph.D., or equivalent degrees and with diverse backgrounds in fields such as cell biology, molecular biology, endocrinology, urology, pathology, molecular genetics, and epidemiology. The laboratory portion of the training program will involve established SPORE investigators as mentors, and the areas of research will encompass the various SPORE projects associated with our overall proposal. New for this period of funding will be implementation of a structured training program that involves (1) individualized oversight of fellow or junior faculty activities, including mentor-trainee interaction, and (2) access to didactic courses that cover basic principles of translational research, including protection of human subjects (Data Safety and Monitoring, IRB, FDA, and NIH protocols and guidelines); manuscript writing and publishing; grant writing and research.